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Breastmilk in the bottle - overeating?

Hello all

I'm wondering if anyone has input on how much my 1 month old (5.5 weeks) son should be drinking from a bottle. I am EBF but have started pumping a few bottles so hubby can feed him and so that I can go out and run errands from time to time. I have noticed that he always empties the bottle and seems to want more. He drank a 6oz bottle one day after he had already nursed for an hour. He spit up a lot for the rest of the day (but he is a happy spitter even on a regular day). The same thing happened today - I had a job interview and was gone for 2 hours. I left a 4oz bottle and a 3 oz bottle thinking that it would be plenty. He drank them both and I nursed him when I returned (he was finishing the second bottle when I got back). Mind you, I had nursed him right before leaving as well. Once again he spit up a lot today after having those bottles. It may just be that he has a big appetite but I am wondering if he is being overfed when bottle feeding.

Re: Breastmilk in the bottle - overeating?

Hello! A baby's tummy is roughly the size of his fist, so 7 oz. does seem like quite a bit for a newborn, especially in two hours! I think at that age we were doing 3 oz. at a time... Sometimes caregivers (especially well-meaning husbands) might give the baby a bottle if it seems like they are fussy or upset, because they aren't really sure what else to do. So your hubby's comfort level caring for the baby may increase and the bottle size may decrease.

Re: Breastmilk in the bottle - overeating?

The general rule of thumb is that a baby needs about 1.5 oz of milk per hour. So in that 2 hour period you were gone the other day, a 3 oz bottle should have been more than sufficient considering that you nursed baby right before you left.

Re: Breastmilk in the bottle - overeating?

I agree. He is probably taking more than he needs. My DD is just now five months and we've just switched from 3 ounces (about every 2 or 2.5 hours) to 4 ounces (every 3 hours). Sometimes she will fuss for a second or two (literally) after the bottle is gone simply because she was in a nice little rhythm and wanted to keep sucking - not because she was still hungry. Just like if I am eating a huge piece of cake and someone takes it from me. I might fuss for a second but it doesn't mean I was still hungry and needed it. Ha!